The teaching staff encourage the diversity that Guildhall is known for…there is something for everyone, regardless of style and influence

Oliver Leith
MMus Composition

The research community at Guildhall is a really interesting place to be

Stefania Donini
PhD

I found it very beneficial to take a break from a busy teaching career to think and reflect on my teaching value, principle and strategies

Yushan Li
PGCert Performance Teaching

Studying at Guildhall is really cool because you are in a setting where the arts are valued by an entire community

Natasha Mbwana
BA Performance & Creative Enterprise

The projects we work on are real - we are in effect constantly getting work experience

Laurie Lumley
BA Video Design for Live Performance

Guildhall is an institution that knows it has to be connected to the outside world - that's the key thing. It's not a bubble. It has roots in the city and in the world.

Jonathan Ferrucci
Artist Diploma Piano

One minute you could be playing in the Guildhall Studio Orchestra with jazz musicians, the next you could be playing in the opera pit, then the next minute you'll be with actors doing the musical and then playing a symphony in the orchestra.

Millie Ashton
BMus Violin

I had access to people I would never have been able to meet as a young composer starting out.

UK/EU Postgraduate Student Loans

Guidance booklet for download

Government-backed postgraduate loans are available to help Masters students towards the cost of their tuition fees and living expenses. These are non-means tested, repayable postgraduate student loans similar to those that are offered to undergraduate students. Each country in the UK offers a slightly different loan scheme. Students should apply for a postgraduate loan from the county in which they are ordinarily resident. For student continuing straight from undergraduate to postgraduate study, this will be the country they lived in before university.

Figures for 2020/21 are still yet to be confirmed. New students in 2019/20 who are resident in England or the EU can borrow up to £10,906 for the entire length of their course. New students from Wales, studying on or after 1 August 2019 can apply for Postgraduate Masters Finance and receive up to £17,000 as a combination of grant and loan. New students from Northern Ireland can apply for loans of up to £5,500. Funding from the Student Awards Agency Scotland is only available for courses outside of Scotland if the course is not available in Scotland. The Students Awards Agency Scotland provides funding of up to £10,000 towards fees and living costs.

Applicant Eligibility - England, Wales, Northern Ireland & EU

Nationality / residency requirements:

If you are a UK national or you have ‘settled status’ (i.e. there are no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK):

you must be normally resident in England for SFE or Wales for SFW or Northern Ireland for SFNI; and

you must be ordinarily resident in the UK, Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least three years before the start date of your programme (i.e. since 1 September 2017).

If you are an EU national:

you must be living in England on the first day of term; and

you must be ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for at least three years before the start date of your programme (i.e. since 1 September 2017).

You must be under the age of 60 on 1 September 2020. (There is no age limit for students from NI.)

You must be undertaking your first Masters level and not have a higher level degree.

If you already hold the equivalent of a master’s degree (or higher), you will not be eligible; this includes non-UK qualifications and non-music/drama qualifications. (Students from NI are exempt from this criteria.)

Loan Details - England & EU

Students resident in England and the EU can apply for a loan from Student Finance England. The amount for student studying in 2020/21 is yet to be confirmed. For 2019/20 students are able to apply for up to £10,906 as a contribution towards their tuition fees and living costs. Payments will be made directly into a student's bank account in three instalments over the academic year. For courses longer than one year, the loans will be disbursed in six instalments over two years.

Students need to be prepared to pay their deposit and complete enrolment before the postgraduate loan will be released to them.

4 January 2021: 30% tuition fees due (Students in receipt of the postgraduate loan are extended a grace period until the second loan disbursement has been received)

January2021: 2nd instalment released from SFE/SFW

19 April 2021: 30% tuition fees due

April 2021: 3rd instalment released from SFE/SFW

Students are responsible for paying their termly fees as soon as their loan is received.

Loan Details - Northern Ireland

Students from Northern Ireland will be able to borrow from Student Finance NI towards the cost of a Masters degree, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma. Funding for 2020/21 is yet to be confirmed. For 2019/20 students can apply for up to £5,500. Northern Irish postgraduate loans are available for courses lasting up to 3 years. The loan will be paid to Guildhall in three instalments during each academic year. Students will not receive any money directly into their bank account.

Loan Details - Wales

Students from Wales can apply for a combination of a student grant and loan to cover their tuition fees and living costs from Student Fiannace Wales. Figures for 2020/21 have yet to be confirmed, however funding for 2019/20 is avaliable of up to £17000.

Loan Details - Scotland

Postgraduate funding is only avaliable from the Student Awards Agency Scotland for postgraduate study outside of scotland if the course is not avaliable in Scotland. Please contact the Student Awards Agency Scotland to check the eligibility of the course you wish to study.

Erasmus+ Master Loans

The Erasmus+ Masters Loan aims to offer affordable loan support for students who want to study for a Masters degree in a different country. The Erasmus+ Master Loan is entirely new and will not replace Erasmus+ grants, which continue to be the main part of the Erasmus+ exchange programme.

The loans are up to €12,000 for a one-year Masters programme and up to €18,000 for a two-year Masters and can cover both living and tuition costs in any of the 33 Erasmus+ programme countries.

To apply you must be resident in a member state of the EU, or an associated country (currently Iceland, Norway, Turkey, Liechtenstein and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).

You must also be planning to study in a country that is:

Not your home country

Not the country where you completed your undergraduate degree (i.e. you would not be eligible for this loan scheme if you have already completed a BMus degree in the UK).

The Erasmus+ Master Loan Scheme is being rolled out on a country by country basis and is not yet available in all member states. For the latest information about whether these loans are now available in your country, you should contact your National Agency.

US Federal Loan

If you have been accepted on one of our Masters degree programmes and you are a US citizen, you may be able to apply for a US Federal Loan. This can help towards tuition fees and maintenance costs. However, if you are studying on the doctoral programme or on a non-degree course (eg. Artist Diploma or Advanced Certificate) then you are NOT eligible to receive federal aid from Guildhall. You may, however, be eligible for a private loan such as Sallie Mae loans (with the exception of short courses).

Guildhall School Financial Awards

The School also offers various financial awards, including Guildhall School Scholarships. Find information about financial support provided by the School here.

External Funding (all postgraduates)

Postgraduate students who are not able to find private sponsorship will need to find alternative means to fund their studies. The School expects students to take the initiative in supporting their studies and advises that they should apply to as many sources of funding as possible.

To help students find as many funding opportunities as possible, the School provides guidance on potential sources of external funding such as charities, foundations and educational trusts. In addition, the School also provides information on how to plan and execute a fundraising campaign. Ideally, potential students should consider how they will fund their studies a year prior to starting their studies as many closing dates are between January and March of the previous academic year.

Students applying for external funding should check that the organisation does not already donate money to the School. You can find a list of current donors on the School's supporters page.